An Act of Restraint
by Bad Faery
Summary: Post-ep for Child of the Moon- David knows just who to call to rescue Belle.


Strain as she might, Belle couldn't reach the cell phone on the other side of the library table, and her attempt at picking the lock on the manacle with a bobby pin left her with nothing but a bent hairpin and frustration. A quick scan of the nearest shelves revealed titles relating to philosophy and nothing at all useful like a tome on the art of escape. From outside, the howl of a wolf made the hair on her arms stand on end, and the unmistakable sound of a angry mob quickly gained strength.

"Leave her alone! She's not a monster!" she shouted at the top of her voice, but for all the good it did, she might as well have remained silent. No one could hear her from in here. Closing her eyes, Belle slid down the wall, her arm held awkwardly above her head thanks to the restraint, and all she could do was hope that the town would see reason before killing her friend. David and Granny were out there; they'd protect Ruby.

The sounds of shouting grew louder, and horrific possibilities darted through her mind, her imagination showing her a thousand different things that might be happening to Ruby. Abruptly, everything went still, and Belle wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. Did she dare hope the mob was dispersing? Surely if they'd killed Ruby there would be the sound of celebration. She could only assume her friend had somehow escaped.

"Hello? I'm in here; someone let me out!" she tried, not at all surprised when no one came to her rescue. From this point on she'd keep a set of lock picks on her at all times and bloody well learn how to _use_ them. Belle had had quite enough of playing the damsel in distress.

That, however, was for a future moment when she wasn't chained to a shelf. With a sigh, Belle selected a book at random, drew up her knees, and started to read. Immanuel Kant quickly proved engrossing, and she almost managed to forget that her arm was falling asleep as she lost herself in his theories, snapping out of it seventy pages later when she heard a very familiar voice calling her name, "Belle?"

"Over here," she called back, placing the book on the floor beside her and keeping her finger in it to mark her place as Rumpelstiltskin rounded the corner, something dark flickering in his expression. "I'm all right," she assured him at once, and his face cleared.

"So I see." Instead of unchaining her, he grabbed a straight back chair and placed it in front of her, straddling it as he looked at her, a mocking twist to his lips.

Belle ignored the look. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Our acting sheriff called me. Said Ruby locked you up and you were in need of rescue." With a flick of his hand, he materialized a key, dangling it teasingly in front of her for a moment before making it vanish. "You do seem to be making a habit of this."

"_Rumpel_..." Although her tone carried a clear warning, Belle couldn't quite suppress her smile. If they'd thought to free her, clearly Ruby and David were all right, and she couldn't say she was sorry to have the opportunity to talk to her erstwhile true love. "So if you're here to rescue me, then rescue me."

"Ah. _That's_ the problem," he informed her, his face serious. "You see, rescuing damsels in distress is very much a princely behavior. I- as you may have noticed- am no prince."

Lowering her voice, Belle told him confidentially, "Well, that's good. You see, _I've_ always found princes very boring."

He raised his eyebrows, "Have you now? Do tell."

"Oh yes, always galloping around issuing proclamations and swinging swords. They have no subtly at all." Deciding this was worth losing her place in her book over, Belle waved her hand in her best imitation of him, "I prefer my men to be more... complex."

"Your _men_?" he repeated archly, "Not sure I like the sound of that, dearie."

"_I'm_ not sure I like being chained up," she reminded him, tugging at the manacle.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes followed her movement, and she could see him swallow convulsively. "I can see a few advantages though," he told her, his voice oddly hoarse.

Now that he'd mentioned it, Belle could as well, and she shifted, pressing her thighs together as she felt herself starting to melt. They'd only been lovers for a handful of days before they fell apart again, but her body well remembered the pleasure he'd offered her. "Like what?" she rasped, knowing exactly what she was inviting.

He stood up and pushed the chair aside, crouching awkwardly in front of her as he trailed his fingers down her outstretched arm, making her shiver. "You can't possibly get into any trouble like this," he mused. "All chained up, safe and sound." His eyes were dark, and Belle's heart melted. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how badly her frequent brushes with danger were frightening him.

Still, fear wasn't the emotion she wanted right now. "And what happens when some villain just happens to stumble across me?" she prompted, "Some men might see me all chained up and helpless and get all sorts of ideas."

"And what sort of ideas might they get?" he asked, his breath quickening as the darkness in his eyes was replaced by a different kind of intensity.

"They might decide they want a better look at me." She arched her back, calling his attention to her breasts. "They might unbutton my blouse no matter how much I try to fight them off."

Rumpelstiltskin's hand brushed over her buttons, and Belle smothered a gasp. "And would you fight him off, love?" he murmured.

"Like a tiger," she purred. "He might have to restrain my other hand."

"So he might." Reaching out, Rumpelstiltskin called another manacle to hand, one end obediently securing itself to a nearby shelf as he took her free hand, his eyebrows raised, silently asking if this was really what she wanted.

"Oh no, please, not that. Anything but that," she whimpered as she slid her wrist into the cuff, waiting for him to close it.

His lips twitched as he secured the manacle. "And what else might this villain do?"

Belle gasped as the restraint tightened itself, stretching her other arm above her head as Rumpelstiltskin went to work on her blouse. "He might decide that looking's not enough," she suggested as he undid the front clasp of her bra with a flick of his hand and a touch of magic, the fabric obediently parting to bare her to his sight. "He might decide to touch."

Instantly, his hands covered her breasts, kneading tenderly as she sighed in pleasure. How she'd missed this. His thumbs found her nipples and pinched just hard enough, leaving her arching her back, pressing herself more firmly into his hands. His breath was warm against the side of her face as he asked urgently, "What else? Belle, tell me what else."

"He pushes up my skirt." With a groan, Rumpelstiltskin did just that, his hand warm against her thigh. "Forces my legs apart..."

His knee slipped between hers, coaxing her to part her legs for him, and Belle was too aroused even to pretend to put up a fight. "He touches me through my knickers. Teases me for being wet for him."

"_Belle_," he gasped her name, his fingers sliding beneath her knickers to stroke her folds, and she jerked her hips with a smothered cry, her body pleading for more. "Gods, you're so wet, so wet for me. You want this, don't you? You pretend you don't. You pretend it's so easy for you, but it's not. You _want_ this."

Keening, Belle tugged at the restraints, wanting to pull him closer, to rub herself against him. "He puts his fingers inside me," she narrated, not sure where her boldness was coming from, but the feel of his fingers diving into her hot depths was reward enough. She rocked her hips up to take him deeper, and Rumpelstiltskin groaned like he'd slipped a completely different part of his body into her.

He curled his fingers, pressing against the spot they'd discovered the night they were reunited and teased her with his thumb, using just exactly the right amount of pressure to make her thoughts splinter as she sagged against the restraints, only the manacles keeping her upright as she moaned and writhed like a woman possessed.

"Does he kiss you, Belle?" he panted, his lips only centimeters from her own. "Tell me he kisses you."

He sounded completely frantic as his fingers picked up speed, and she could feel herself starting to spiral out of control. He'd bring her off like this if she let him, satisfy her just with his clever fingers, but that wasn't what she wanted. "He stops," she managed to gasp, and Rumpelstiltskin whimpered a protest. "He stops," she repeated more firmly, and he slid his fingers out, his face contorted like she was torturing him.

"He unfastens his trousers and takes himself out," she commanded, and his eyes went wide. "He lets me see how hard I make him." With shaking hands, he hastened to comply, quickly freeing his straining length.

"Gods, sweetheart, look what you do to me," he muttered, poised in front of her for his next order. "What does he do now?"

"He... he takes me," she whispered. "He kisses me."

With a wave of his hand the manacles disappeared, and she didn't have time to register the prickling feeling of circulation suddenly returning as he pushed her down to lie on the floor, covering her with his own body as she cradled him between her legs. His mouth covered hers in a desperate kiss as he sheathed himself within her in one smooth thrust, and Belle cried out, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she drew her knees back, inviting him deeper. "How... how does he...?" he panted against her lips.

"Hard and fast," she answered the half-spoken question, and he groaned like he was dying as he withdrew and slammed himself back into her, making her entire body jolt. She'd been sitting in one position for so long that her limbs felt a bit rubbery, and her legs kept slipping until he slipped his arm under her knee, changing the angle so that he was hitting that wonderful spot, and she made a noise she would disavow all knowledge of once they were finished.

His mouth came down on hers, swallowing every ridiculous cry as he pounded into her, and she arched her back, trying to take him deeper yet. They were still broken, still not right, but this worked for them. They _needed_ this.

He pulled out almost all the way, canting his hips to brush her clit as he plunged back in, and Belle fell apart, ecstasy flooding her body as he stiffened and cried out, spilling himself within her in a rapid flurry of thrusts that left her gasping and quivering with aftershock.

She barely had the strength to hold him as he collapsed on top of her, his tongue swiping soothingly over her throat as he licked his way to her ear. "And after?" he asked hesitantly, "What does he do after?"

If she was smart, she'd tell him to kiss her goodbye. They'd had a tacit agreement to take things slowly, and there was nothing slow about this. Yet she couldn't bear to be parted from him again so soon. "He walks me to my flat," she answered, and she could feel him tense. "And invites himself to spend the night in my bed."

The building tension ebbed at her words, and he nipped at her earlobe. "I think I like this villain of yours," he rumbled.

Belle smiled, turning her face for another kiss. "I'm rather fond of him myself."


End file.
